Mount Wrightson via Old Baldy Trail

Coronado National Forest, AZ Southeastern Arizona + Tucson

Trip stats

Distance
10.2 mi
Net Gain
4,200 ft
Time
5-7 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 1
Route
Out/Back
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
5.1/10
Personality
5/10
Beauty
7/10
Solitude
3/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Mount Wrightson
    9,453′ elevation · 4,578′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

31.713390, -110.873440

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Mar 12, 2018 — Mt. Wrightson is the highest point in the Santa Rita Mountains. There are two trails to the summit from Madera Canyon, the Old Baldy Trail and the Super Trail. The former is steeper and shorter, while the latter seems to pretty much circumnavigate most of Mt. Wrightson. I intended to combine the two trails to make a loop, but after summiting Mt. Wrightson, I was able to pretty much follow the Super Trail's route and decided the extra few miles weren't really worth the effort and just headed back down the Old Baldy Trail. The first half of the trail is covered with trees with some glimpses of Mt. Wrightson, and after reaching the Josephine Saddle, you start to get nicer views of Mt. Wrightson and also back down Madera Canyon.

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

Hire me PayPal Venmo Cash App

Photos

24 photos

  1. Views through the trees like this for most of the first half of the Old Baldy Trail.
  5. Pretty lush relative to the other hikes this close to Tucson, AZ.
  6. Mt. Wrightson ahead.
  7. Josephine Saddle, where lots of trails converge.
  8. After Josephine Saddle, the views open up significantly.
  12. Passing Bellows Spring.
  15. Trail starts to switchback a lot as you near the Baldy Saddle.
  16. Mt. Wrightson ahead, from the Baldy Saddle.
  17. Just past the Baldy Saddle looking northeast.
  21. Josephine Peak down to the left, on the way up Mt. Wrightson.
  23. Looking south from the Mt. Wrightson summit.
  24. Looking north up Madera Canyon from Mt. Wrightson summit.

Photo 1 of 1

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

Hire me PayPal Venmo Cash App